Sports Voices 365/24/7

Wednesday, November 30, 2005

Fri., Dec. 2 -

Fresno State 38, La. Tech 16 -The Bulldogs were surprised last week as they lost the WAC title at Nevada.

Sat., Dec. 3-

#1 USC 51, #11 UCLA 28 - If it weren't for the greatest offense in the history of college football lying on the 110-Freeway, we would be talking about the greatness of the UCLA's offensive attack. The Bruins are 102nd in the nation in total defense and will need a barrage of Trojan turnovers to have a chance.#2 Texas 54, Colorado 14 -De Ja Vu for the Horns!

#13 Georgia 27, #3 LSU 21 - The Tigers need more proficiency on offense and UGA may have recovered from the loss against Auburn enough to win.#5 Virginia Tech 41, Florida State 10 - The Hokies got their reprieve when Georgia Tech inexplicably beat Miami. This is the worst Florida State team since its entry into the ACC and the Hokies will be determined to push into the BCS.

#12 West Virginia 24, South Florida 16 -The Bulls could be down after losing a shot at the title with the loss at UConn.#16 Louisville 28, UCONN 17 -The Cards could struggle with QB Brian Brohm shelved with an ACL injuryTulsa 31, Central Fla. 28 -A surprsing matchup for the CUSA title between two newcomers who weren't on anybody's radar at the beginning of the year.

Wednesday, November 23, 2005

Thurs., Nov. 24 -West VA. 27, Pitt 17 - Rich Rodriguez has done a good job of making WVU a perrenial contender int he Big East.Fri. Nov. 25 - Texas 52, Texas A&M 14 - Horns have won five in a row over the Aggies and 14 straight on the road.LSU 34, Arkansas 17 - A big day by the Hogs' Darren McFadden could make this one interesting.Arizona State 35, Arizona 27 - The Wildcats shocked the Sun Devils last year, so Dirk Koetter's club is on guard.Wisconsin 38, Hawaii 24 - The Badgers should lock down New Year's Day plans with the win.Colorado 28, Nebraska 20 - The Buffs want another shot at Texas in the Big 12 title game.Saturday, Nov. 26 -

SEC

Tennessee 23, Kentucky 17 - The Cats have a good chance to win this game if they can establish RB Rafael Little.

Ole Miss 13, Mississippi State 6 - A defensive battle or an offensive eye sore in a matchup not even worthy for TV.

Florida 24, Florida State 20 - Two bitter rivals who are 7-3 and having years less than what their partisans expect; the Gators are at home and should be able to control FSU with DeShawn Wynn and the rush game.

ACC

Miami 31, Virginia 13 - The Hurricanes will be focused this week after last Saturday's embarrassing loss to Ga. Tech knocked them into second place in the ACC Coastal.

Maryland 17, NC State 14 - Unfortuantely, the winner has six wins and is bowl eligible.

Virginia Tech 35, North Carolina 14 - The Hokies should lock down their trip to Jacksonville against outmanned UNC.

Georgia 21, Ga. Tech 13 - The Dawgs are the better team but so was Miami last week.

Big 12

Iowa State 14, Kansas 12 - The Cyclones need to be prepared in case Colorado trips on Friday against Nebraska.Oklahoma 23, Oklahoma State 13 - Both teams are virtually ineffective in the passing game, so it could turn into a matchup of RBs Mike Hamilton of OSU and Adrian Petersen of OU.

Big East

Rutgers 30, Cincinnati 17 - The Scarlet Knights have given up 101 points in the last two weeks in losses to South Florida and Louisiville, so they must rediscover their defense to beat the improving Bearcats.

Louisville 48, Syracuse 14 - The Orange have been outscored 156-55 in their six Big East matchups and a surging and uncharitable Cardinal squad will show little mercy.

South Florida 24, UConn 14 - The Bulls are 12th in the nation in rush offense at 229 per game and if the Huskies cannot stop Andre Hall, USF puts itself in position to gain a BCS bid next week at home against West Virginia.

CUSA

UAB 31, ECU 20 -The Blazers have struggled this season, but should gain their sixth win as ECU's pass defense should not have the answer to Darrell Hackney.

UTEP 41, SMU 17 - The Miners need to blow the Mustangs out early on the road or Phill Bennett's Ponies could be dangerous as Houston saw last week.

Memphis 34, Marshall 21 - The Tigers fall into the same boat as UAB as they have had a disappointing year and need the win for bowl eligibility.

USM 30, Tulane 19 - The Eagles should be able to move the ball at will against a weak Green Waves defense.

PAC 10

Notre Dame 41, Standford 17 - The Irish are thinking BCS and Brady Quinn could topp the 300-yard mark through the air against the charitible Cardinal DBs.

WAC

Boise State 34, Louisiana Tech 28 - This game is in Ruston and the Bulldogs are good enough to cause Boise trouble, but the Broncos' running game should be the difference.

Thursday, November 17, 2005

Iron Bowl Headlines Key SEC Slate

SEC -#11 Auburn 20, #8 Alabama 14 –The Tigers are playing as well as anyone right now behind feature back Kenny Irons.#4 LSU 28, Ole Miss 10 –A huge mismatch that the Rebels must keep close early.#19 South Carolina 24, Clemson 16 –The Gamecocks have rode an efficient offense and a strong defense into a possible eighth win; hand over coach-of-the-year honors to Steve Spurrier, immediately!!!!!#14 Georgia 38, Kentucky 14 –The Bulldogs must win to secure their berth in the SEC championship game; a loss sends upstart South Carolina.

Vandy 20, Tennessee 17 –If the 4-6 ‘Dores win, there will be plenty of "what ifs" when recollecting losses to Middle Tennessee and Kentucky; QB Jay Cutler should put up numbers if the Commodores block UT’s front.

Arkansas 24, Miss. State 3-The Razorbacks should be able to control the clock and win against another Magnolia State opponent.

ACC-#3 Miami 34, Georgia Tech 10 –Containing GT WR Calvin Johnson is the Hurricanes’ number one priority.#7 Virginia Tech 34, Virginia 20 –The Hokies have not played since their resounding 27-7 loss to Miami, so Virginia will be a tests as VT looks to bounce back.Maryland 23, #23 BC 17 –BC allows only 91 rushing yards per game to its opponents, but Maryland, who is at home and needs the win to become bowl eligible, has RB Lance Ball who performs at a 5-yards per carry clip.NCST 38, MTSU 17 – The Wolfpack have enough inferior opponents to win here and go 5-5 and then depend on a win against Maryland next week for bowl eligibility.North Carolina 35, Duke 13 – The Tar Heels are still smarting from last week’s OT loss to Maryland.

BIG 12 -Oklahoma 27, #21 Texas Tech 21 – The Red Raiders were 0-for-11 on third down in last week’s surprising loss to OKST, not to mention three turnovers as the Pokes led 17-0 early.Oklahoma State 27, Baylor 24 – The Cowboys could become bowl eligible with a win over the Bears and next week against Oklahoma.

Kansas State 21, Missouri 17 –Bill Snyder’s swan song as KSU’s coach.

BIG 10 - #5 Penn State 42, Michigan State 17 –The Spartans fell like a house of cards after the Ohio Stateoss; JoePa needs this one for the outright Big 10 title.

#17 Michigan 30, #9 Ohio State 20 –The Wolverines have too many options on offense when they are all healthy; the Buckeyes think they are still BCS savvy with a win.Northwestern 45, Illinois 14 –Illini have no answers for a much-more talented Wildcats offense.

Minnesota 31, Iowa 24 – The Gophers could get a New Year’s Day Bowl win a win; Sophomore Amir Phinnix ran for 206 yards in last week’s win over Michigan State.

Purdue 31, Indiana 28 – A long season comes to an end for the Boilers while IU has lost five in a row, but sees its program improving.

PAC 10 -#1 USC 44, #16 Fresno State 24 –The Bulldogs have Pac 10 talent, but not enough against this juggernaut.Washington 27, Washington State 23 – Wazzu coach Bill Doba is on the hot seat and cannot afford a loss to the Huskies.

#10 Oregon 41, Oregon State 24 –The Ducks haven’t been talked about east of Eugene, but they are worthy of BCS consideration s their only loss was to Southern Cal.Stanford 28, Cal 24 –The Bears have lost four out of five while Stanford is much improved over the beginning of Walt Harris’ first season.

BIG EAST -South Florida 28, Cincinnati 14 –RB Andre Hall will be the emphasis of the UC defense.

#6 Notre Dame 45, Syracuse 10 –The Fighting Irish have too many weapons and too sophisticated of an offensive scheme for the struggling Orange who were shut out by USF last week.MWC-

New Mexico 30, Air Force 21 –Lobos RB DonTrell Moore is only the sixth back in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards or more in four straight seasons.Colorado State 31, UNLV 14 – Vegas has stopped virtually no one all year and the pass-run combo of Justin Holland and Kyle bell does not figure to waiver.

San Diego State 24, Wyoming 21 – Both clubs close out disappointing 4-6 ledgers.

Thursday, November 10, 2005

Key SEC Matchups Will Clear Picture

Thurs., Nov. 10 –Fresno State 41, Boise State 34 – The WAC title is on the line and the Bulldogs’ speed will be the difference.

Fri., Nov. 11 –

Louisville 35, Rutgers 24 – Cards QB Brian Brohm has completed 69% of his passes and has thrown only three ints.; while the Scarlet Knights have a nice offense themselves, the Cards have more overall talent.

Sat., Nov. 12 –

SEC-

#5 LSU 24, #3 Alabama 20 – The Tide has scored only one offensive TD in the last two weeks and LSU has more offensive firepower and weaponry that Alabama’s first nine opponents.

South Carolina 22, #12 Florida 20 – Injuries have taken a toll on a Florida team with little depth and Coach Steve Spurrier will have his Gamecocks focused and ready to go after they became bowl eligible with last week’s win at Arkansas.

#15 Auburn 24, #9 Georgia 17 – Although the game is in Athens, the War Eagles rushing attack behind Kenny Irons will prevail; especially, Since GA QB D.J. Shockley is not 100 percent.

Vandy 34, Kentucky 14 – The Commodores need this win to have a shot at six wins when they play Tennessee in two weeks.

Ole Miss 16, Arkansas 13 – The Rebels are still playing tough on the defensive side of the ball and should snuff out a one-dimensional Hogs’ attack.

Tennessee 20, Memphis 14 – DeAngelo Alexander averages 197.7 yards per game against a Tennessee defense that leads the SEC, giving up only 80 yards on the ground per game.

Big 10 –

#10 Ohio State 23, #25 Northwestern 20 – The Wildcats leads the Big 10 in Pass offense behind QB Brett Basenez with 319 yards per game through the air while Ohio State’s defense is first against the pass, yielding only 203 per contest. Oddly enough the Buckeyes are last in the Big 10 in turnover ratio at (-6) with only 10 takeaways.

#21 Michigan 35, Indiana 17 – The Wolverines’ defense is too much as IU QB Blake Powers leads the league with 21 TDs and 12 ints.

Minnesota 34, Michigan State 28 – Both clubs average over 500 yards in offense per game as the Gophers use their ground attack and MSU’s calling card in QB Drew Stanton and the passing game.

Purdue 41, Illinois 19 – The Boilermakers have been one of the nation’s most disappointing teams thanks to a pass defense that has given up 321 yards per game and 21 TDs through the air; there are no such problems when playing offensively challenged Illinois.

#1 USC 48, Cal 20 – The Bears have struggled with the pass, a league worst 201.4 yards per game, all season and against USC’s pass rush, this problem could be even more prevalent.

#14 UCLA 38, Arizona State 34 – The Bruins’ recovery from the 52-14 rout at the hands of Arizona will be scrutinized.

Oregon State 40, Stanford 35 – Two struggling QBs in OSU’s Matt Moore and Stanford’s Trent Edwards could stage a shootout as neither team is strong in the pass defense departments.

#11 Oregon 34, Washington State 20 – With Kellen Clemens injured, the Ducks should still be able to pull this one off on the road as are last in the league in total defense.

Arizona 27, Washington 14 – The Wildcats should be beaming with confidence as freshman QB Willie Tuitma lit up then-undefeated UCLA last week.

ACC –

#17 Florida State 24, Clemson 21 – Pick the Seminoles out of habit, but realize that these are the top 2 yardage producers in the league and playing in Death Valley could spell the Tigers’ sixth win.

North Carolina 20, Maryland 17 – The Tar Heels are strong at home and since neither team is very strong against the run, whoever establishes the line of scrimmage can win.

#3 Miami 37, Wake Forest 14 – The Hurricanes have to guard against a let down on the road after last week’s resounding landmark win at Virginia Tech.

Virginia 24, #24 Georgia Tech 17 – This is the Cavs’ best chance to get the sixth win as they finish against Virginia Tech and Miami; GT is plus-11 in turnover ratio as the Yellow Jackets have turned their opponents over 23 times.

BC 26, NCST 16 – The Eagles should generate enough offense to defeat the Wolfpack, who are on the road again after last week’s upset of FSU.

Big 12 –

Oklahoma 27, Texas A&M 14 – The Aggies are last in the league in total defense which should give Adrian Petersen a chance to re-establish himself.

#13 Texas Tech 45, Oklahoma State 17 – OSU’s strength is its pass defense, but TT features the top four pass catchers in the Big 12, led by Jarrett Hicks.

Missouri 31, Baylor 16 – Tigers QB Brad Smith should be able to operate both in the air and on the ground against an improved but learning Baylor defense.

#2 Texas 42, Kansas 13 – The Longhorns continue to pile up points on everyone as they have scored 37 TDs on the ground and tallied 278.6 rushing yards per game; KU is number one in the nation in rushing defense, allowing only 64.1 per game.

Iowa State 24, #22 Colorado 20 – The Cyclones are due a big win and hosting the Buffaloes in Ames seems like the scenario.

MWC –

#18 TCU 45, UNLV 7 – Vegas will not be able to score enough to keep up with the focused Frogs who lead the league in total defense while averaging 32 ppg. and amassing a plus-19 turnover ratio.

New Mexico 31, Utah 27 – An even matchup of two defenses giving up exactly 370.1 yards per game and a pair of efficient QBs in UNM’s Kole McCamey and Utah’s Brian Johnson.

Colorado State 28, San Diego State 14 - Rams RB Kyle Bell may be the best running back you never heard of.

BYU 45, Wyoming 31 - The Cougars' John Beck has thrown 20 TD passes and 2,869 yards this season as the Cougs' offense in getting back its aerial reputation.

Big East -South Florida 27, Syracuse 17 - If the Bulls keep winning, the Dec. 3 matchup with West Virginia should actually be for the Big East's BCS bid.

Pitt 30, UConn 21- Tyler Palko should be able to riddle the Huskies' secondary.

CUSA -Tulsa 35, ECU 21 - The Pirates are much improved on offense, but will not be able to outscore the surging Hurricanes, who were impressive last week in a late 3-point loss to UTEP.Tulane 24, Rice 14 - Two teams playing out the string at 2-6 and 0-8, respectively.

Central Florida 38, UAB 28 - The Golden Knights are looking to the CUSA title game as they have won six out of seven and three in a row, scoring over 30 points intheir last five.

Houston 30, Southern Miss 28 - The Golden Eagles won at Marshall in OT on Tuesday night and have to come back and play Sunday afternoon thanks to a postponement by Hurricane Wilma.

Other - #7 Notre Dame 38, Navy 14 - The Mids have had opportunities in the past, but this year is not an option.

Wednesday, November 02, 2005

#3 Virginia Tech Entertains #5 Miami in Blacksburg Showdown

Thurs., Nov. 3 -

Louisville 34, Pitt 24 -This matchup does not hold the ramifications that many though as Pitt has struggled all season and the Cards have two Big East losses.Sat., Nov. 5 -#3 Virginia Tech 27, #5 Miami 17 - The Hurricanes need a fast start to take the VT crowd out of the game; however, this is the best team in the Frank Beamer era and night fall in Blacksburg makes winning doubly tough on opponents.BC 31, North Carolina 20 - The Eagles and Tar Heels met in last year's Continental Tire Bowl with BC taking a 37-24 win; Multi-talented Will Blackmon is a tough matchup for UNC.Minnesota 33, Indiana 21 -The Hoosiers have improved but do not have the defense to stop a Minnesota offense that looks to propell its team to bowl eligibility.Northwestern 31, Iowa 27 - Great QB matchup with NU's Brett Basenez, who looks to rebound after a tough loss to Michigan, and Iowa's Drew Tate, who has recovered after an early season injury while throwing for 1,634 yards.Rutgers 31, South Florida 10 - The Scarlet Knights and Big East Coach of the Year candidate Greg Schiano are bowl eligible and with their offensive firepower, could improve their stock immeasurably by winning the last three.Purdue 31, Michigan State 28 - The Boilers are the biggest disappointemnt in the Big 10 and will upset a Spartans club that has not played well since its a loss to Ohio State.#2 Texas 41, Baylor 17 - The Bears have been good on defense all year, but Vince Young and Ramonce Young are a different challenge to anything Guy Morriss's Bears have faced.Arkansas 14, South Carolina 13 - War Memorial Stadium is a tough venue and the reeling Razorbacks are young, improving, and 0-4 in the SEC which makes them double dangerous; USC got its signature win in the Steve Spurrier Era at Tennesse and needs a strong effort mentally to take the sixth win of the season.Auburn 40, Kentucky 14 - Kenny Irons averages 5.6 yards per carry while QB Brandon Cox has thrown only two interceptions since the first game of the season; UK is outmanned although its mentality is better after the 13-7 win over Miss. State.Clemson 31, Duke 7 - The Tigers could not find the end zone last week vs. Georgia Tech and if they do not take a resounding win here, the noose may tighten around Tommy Bowden's neck.Nebraska 20, Kansas 14 - The Jayhawks are in the game with most anyone as Mizzou found out in last week's loss; the Cornhuskers continue to throw it with success although Zac Taylor has thrown six interceptions in the last four games, of which nebraska has lost three.Georgia Tech 26, Wake Forest 23 - The Deacons are more than game for a mild upset, but GT has the studs on defense to neutralize the run and pull out a close win.Navy 35, Tulane 28 -points should dot the board in a contrast of philosophies behind a Navy rush game that cranks out 263 ypg. and a tulane passing attack behind Lester Richard that has averged 250 per night.Iowa State 28, Kansas State 17 - Cyclones QB Brett Meyer threw for 371 yards last week in a 42-14 win over A&M; KSU has a better pass defense, but offensively, the Cats can't match the ISU firepower.#8 Notre Dame 27, Tennessee 10 - The Fighting Irish will score enough behind Brady Quinn to keep the lethargic tennesse offense from threatening; UT has one toudhown in its last two games.Wyoming 34, Utah 30 - The Cowboys come off a bye week after losing three in a row while Utah snapped a three-game skid with a win over UNLV; Cowboys QB Casey Bramlett should propel them to a tough win in Salt Lake City.BYU 34, UNLV 14 - Cougars QB John Beck is one of the nation's best kept secrets as he has completed over 70% of his passes in three of the last four games.Rice 20, SMU 19 - A rivalry that has moved to CUSA sees Quinton Smith have a big day as the Owls pick up their first win of the season.Boise State 63, New Mexico State 19 - The Broncos will spare no emotion for their newest WAC rival as they are focused on another WAC title.#4 Alabama 30, Mississippi State 10 - The Tide should roll in another tuneup before next week's battle with LSU.#9 Florida State 33, NC State 14 - The Wolfpack has been tough on the Seminoles in recent years, but they just do not have enough offense or a QB to complement Drew Weatherford, who has completed 62% of his passes and thrown for over 2,000 yards in his freshman year.#10 Penn State 20, #14 Wisconsin 17 - This one is for sole possession of the Big 10 lead, so go with the home team.#12 Ohio State 36, Illinois 13 - The Buckeyes have too much talent in Ted Ginn, Jr., Troy Smith, and Santonio Holmes for rebuilding Illinois.#23 Cal 38, #15 oregon 34 - A shootout ensues as both teams average nearly 40 ppg. and have QBs in Joesph Ayoob and Kellen Clemens who can strike from anywhere on the field; Cal's ground game is a little more consistent.#25 Colorado 31, Missouri 17 - RB Hugh Charles is a good complement for Joe Klatt while Missouri's brad Smith doesn't have the complementary player.Virginia 42, Temple 10 - The disappointing Cavaliers sharpen their collective swords on an Owls team that is arguably the worst in I-A history.Air Force 33, Army 16 - At 3-5, the Falcons have had consecutive losing seasons for the first time under coach Fisher DeBerry, so a win over a rival service academy should ease the pain for at least one afternoon.Nevada 40, Hawaii 30 - Wolf Pack QB Jeff Rowe had a tough week with four interceptions in a loss to Boise State; he should rebound nicely against a Warriors defense that gives up the big play.Arizona State 34, Washington State 31 - The Sun Devils knocked off Washington without QB Sam Keller last week, but have not been the same team since USC rallied in the fourth quarter to knock them off on Oct. 1.#7 UCLA 30, Arizona 19 - The Bruins are this year's Cardiac kids as they have rallied in the fourth quarter of the last three games to post wins; U of A will start freshman Willie Tuitama, who rallied the Cats past Oregon State last week, at QB in relief of Richard Kovalcheck.Central Florida 35, Houston 34 - Surprisingly, the Golden Knights continue to lead the CUSA East behind QB Stephen Moffett who has 14 Td passes against only four interceptions as George O'Leary's club has won five of its last six.Washington 24, Oregon State 23 - UW QB Isaiah Stanbeck will outplay OSU's Matt Moore, who thre six interceptions last week against Arizona as he has 18 on the year.#16 Texas Tech 48, Texas A&M 21 - The Aggies gave up 371 yards passing to Brett Meyer of Iowa state last week; Imagine Dennis Franchione's delimma in facing Mike Leach's offense.#20 TCU 30, Colorado State 21 - The Frogs are tough on the ground and should be able to use Robert Merrill and Aaron Brown to grind up the Rams at home.#13 Florida 24, Vandy 21 - Two of the best QBs in the SEC in Jay Cutler and Chris Leak; the Gators have struggled before in Nashville against Vandy teams with far less talent.#6 LSU 48, Appalachian State 16 - The Bayou Bengals get a little rest and relaxation before the trip to Tuscaloosa, although ASU is a decent I-AA squad.#21 Fresno State 48, San Jose State 20 - But for a loss to Oregon, the Bulldogs would be in the same position Utah was in a year ago -- a BCS party crasher!UTEP 42, TULSA 35 - One of the season's best aerial circuses between the Miners' Jordan Palmer and the Golden Hurricane's Paul Smith.#1 USC 45, Stanford 14 - Marching toward Pasadena on Jan. 4.Overall - 276-96Last week - 26-12

Thursday, October 27, 2005

#3 Hokies Face First Stern Test in BC

#3 Virginia Tech 31, #13 Boston College 17 – The Eagles have the mentality and physical capability to go to Blacksburg and pull the upset, but in the end, the Hokies have more depth and speed.

Fri., Oct. 28 –

Colorado State 31, New Mexico 30 – If anyone is to catch TCU in the MWC, it would appear to be one of these clubs; CSU QB Justin Holland has 18 TD passes while UNM QB Kole McCamey has 12 and Lobos RB Dontrell Moore has found the end zone on 10 occasions.

Sat., Oct. 29 –

#6 Miami 35, North Carolina 10 – The Hurricanes were upset in Chapel Hill last year and lightning will not strike twice as QB Kyle Wright has improved with each game.

Minnesota 24, #12 Ohio State 20 – Penn State held Gophers RB Laurence Maroney to 48 yards rushing in Happy Valley and this is not likely to happen again this season; OSU will have to win this one with offense.

#15 Wisconsin 44, Illinois 13 – The Illini have given up 46 points per game in their last five outings while the Badgers have kept pace for the Big 10 title.

Michigan State 30, Indiana 14 – The Spartans are reeling after back-to-back losses to Ohio State and Northwestern and need a quick start to keep Indiana from gaining any confidence.

Wake Forest 34, Duke 14 – Both teams are steered by their ground games as WFU has too much in the backfield for Duke’s defensive front.

Southern Miss 24, NCST 17 – The quarterback position will dictate the winner of this game as USM’s Dustin Almond, 14 TD passes and a 56.8% completion rate, is head and shoulders above anyone the Wolfpack ahs to call signals.

Nebraska 20, Oklahoma 17 – OU’s struggles make this game more competitive than it has been in several years.

Syracuse 16, Cincinnati 10 – RB Damien Rhodes should be able to key the Syracuse attack at home.

#17 Texas Tech 41, Baylor 20 – The Red Raiders’ passing attack features four receivers with 36 receptions or more against a Baylor team that yielded 37 points to offensively challenged Oklahoma.

#19 Auburn 27, Ole Miss – 10 – This one will not come down to the kicking game which cost AU against LSU as John Vaughn missed five, count’em five FGs, in last week’s 20-17 loss in Baton Rouge.

Missouri 34, Kansas 12 – The Tigers are streaking to next week’s big 12 North showdown against Colorado behind QB Brad Smith who had 480 total yards in last week’s 41-24 win over Nebraska.

East Carolina 24, Central Florida 21 – Great coaching jobs by Skip Holtz and George O’Leary as the Golden Knight still share the CUSA East lead with Southern Miss while ECU is one game back.

Colorado 42, Kansas State 14 – The Buffaloes are getting prolific passing performances from QB Joe Klatt as he has 10 TD passes against only one interception in the last four games.

#5 Alabama 45, Utah State 7 – Tune ups against the Aggies and Mississippi State set Alabama up for a Nov. 12 showdown with LSU in Tuscaloosa.

Boise State 45, Nevada 34 – Reno has won three in a row behind a running attack spurred by B.J. Mitchell and a consistent passing game, led by Jeff Rowe, but BSU has too many weapons on the blue field.

#1 USC 48, Washington State 23 – As if the Trojans needed any extra motivation, falling to second on the BCS computer will improve their focus even more against a WSU team that has lost its last three games by a combined 10 points.

#10 Florida State 41, Maryland 17 – The Seminoles know that their ACC championship game hopes rest on every matchup after their debacle in Charlottesville; Look for a nasty Seminole defense and a refocused Drew Weatherford at QB.

#11 Penn State 34, Purdue 17 – Michael Robinson’s athletic prowess is the last thing the defensively challenged Boilermakers, who have lost their last five, need to see.

Georgia Tech 21, Clemson 17 – The Jackets should be able to control this one on the ground with P.J. Daniels and Tashad Choice.

Rutgers 34, Navy 20 – The Knights could be looking at an 8-3 season with three remaining home games around a tough trip to Louisville.

Texas A&M 28, Iowa State 20 – QB Reggie McNeal is more of a threat on the run than in the passing game as he has quietly led A&M to a 5-2 record.

Oregon State 27, Arizona 17 – Matt Moore has already thrown for over 2,000 yards and the beavers eagerly await the last part of the season where they see four winnable games that would give them eight wins.

UTEP 51, Rice 19 – The Miners could see an avalanche of points against the lame-duck Owls.

#8 UCLA 48, Stanford 14 – The undefeated Bruins total 440 yards and 44.4 ppg. as they seem to be on a collision course with USC on Dec. 3.

Arizona State 42, Washington 17 - The Sun Devils have not recovered since their more than respectable loss to USC, but Sam Keller should regain his composure an offensive ways against a weak huskies secondary.

#2 Texas 59, Oklahoma State 10 - The Longhorns may stampede offenseless OSU with a ground game that averages nearly 300 yards per outing.

Thursday, October 20, 2005

LSU-Auburn; Tennessee-Bama Give Perspective to SEC

#3 Virginia Tech 28, Maryland 13 – This is a revenge game for Terps’ coach Ralph Friedgen as he remembers the 55-6 drubbing that Tech handed the Terps in Blacksburg last season.

Fri., Oct. 21 –

So. Miss 28, UAB 21 – The Blazers are reeling after back-to-back one point losses to SMU and Marshall and they need this one to cast themselves back in the CUSA South race.

Sat., Oct. 22 –

#4 Georgia 34, Arkansas 19 – The Bulldogs could be on a collision course with Alabama to be the first undefeated pair to meet in the SEC title game.

#14 Ohio State 23, Indiana 14 – Any less offensive production and the Bucks could be sweating in the fourth quarter against the improved Hoosiers.

#22 Michigan State 35, Northwestern 27 – The offensive-minded Spartans have the running game behind Javon Ringer and Jehuu Caulcrick to control the clock, put points on the board, and outlast gutty Brett Basanez and the Wildcats.

Virginia 24, North Carolina 17 – The Cavaliers should not be living on last week’s upset of Florida State as Carolina has had two weeks to prepare after an embarrassing 69-14 loss at Louisville.

Missouri 28, Nebraska 23 – The homefield could be the difference in an even battle for first place in the Big 12 North.

Clemson 44, Temple 6 – Rookie RB James Davis is out for a month with a wrist injury for Clemson, but that will not matter against the worst team in the Division I-A ranks.

Iowa State 31, Oklahoma State 17 – The underachieving Cyclones finally get a big 12 win.

Ole Miss 19, Kentucky 16 – The Rebels’ defense should be able to hold down the mistake prone Wildcats.

Kansas State 27, Texas A&M 26 – The two biggest enigmas in Big 12 play should stage in interesting confrontation.

#9 Notre Dame 38, BYU 17 – The Irish offense is clicking on all cylinders behind QB Brady Quinn, who has completed 63.6% of his throws with 14 TD tosses; BYU QB John Beck has rallied the Cougars to two wins after a 1-3 start.

Houston 34, Mississippi State 20 – The Cougars had major problems with the Memphis rushing game last week, but should be able to score enough for a win over an SEC opponent on the road.

TCU 33, Air Force 23 – The Frogs have won five in a row since their embarrassing loss to SMU as they are the one undefeated team in MWC play.

Wyoming 27, Colorado State 24 – The Pokes have had problems against the run in loss to New Mexico and TCU in the last two weeks and will have to stop CSU’s Kyle Bell to pick up the ‘W’.

Rutgers 27, UConn 14 – The Huskies have lots of QB injury problems and will start a third stringer in freshman Dennis Brown this week.

Tulsa 33, SMU 21 – The Golden Hurricane have designs on the first ever CUSA title game and sophomore QB Paul Smith should be able to riddle the Ponies’ pass defense.

#1 USC 45, Washington 17 – No let down for "America’s Team" after the last second victory in South Bend.

#11 Florida State 48, Duke 7 – A tough spot for the overmatched Blue Devils after FSU’s first loss of the season came last week at Virginia.

#19 Wisconsin 28, Purdue 20 – Surprisingly the Boilers are 0-3 and on the bottm of the Big 10 while UW is riding high, tied atop the league after blocking a punt inside of 30 seconds to defeat Minnesota.

Wake Forest 23, NC State 20 – The Deacons should be able to run on the undisciplined Wolfpack and eek out a close win.

Memphis 34, East Carolina 23 – CUSA East has lots of parity and at 6.9 yards per carry on average, DeAngelo Williams and the Tigers rushing game should push them up further in the standings.

South Carolina 28, Vandy 24 – The winner here has a good shot at six wins and a bowl bid.

#24 Fresno State 59, Idaho 17 – In their first season in the WAC, the Vandals do not have the studs to compete with Pat Hill’s club.

Arizona State 37, Stanford 20 – The Sun Devils desperately need this road win as they were outplayed in last week’s 31-17 home loss to Oregon.

Hawaii 34, San Jose State 30 – The Spartans have lost five in a row and cannot stop anybody while Hawaii was thoroughly embarrassed in last week’s loss at Louisiana Tech.

Navy 30, Rice 19 – the Mids take a three-game winning streak on the road in less than hostile territory against the 0-5 Owls.

Boise State 44, Utah State 14 – This may be Boise State’s most balanced offense as the Aggies are way overmatched.

#8 UCLA 38, Oregon State 28 – The Bruins came from behind for the third week in a row as they erased a 21-point lead to stop Washington State 44-41 in OT last week.

#12 Penn State 34, Illinois 13 – Losing WR Derrick Williams for the season may eventually hurt JoePa, but this week against challenged Illinois, the Lions should continue tied for the Big 10 lead.

#7 LSU 24, #16 Auburn 23 – Easily the game of the weekend and if Auburn can establish a running game and take the Bayou Bengals crowd out of the contest, Tommy Tuberville can start thinking about a possible showdown with Alabama for a berth in Atlanta at the SEC title game.

UTEP 38, Marshall 17 – The Miners are in a dogfight with Tulsa for CUSA West supremacy and a berth in the first ever title game.

New Mexico 24, San Diego State 21 – The winner could get a shot at a minor bowl.

#25 Cal 31, Washington State 21 – Both teams are struggling as Cal has not lost three in a row since 2001.OVERALL - 214-79LAST WEEK - 30-14

About Me

Ken Cross is a radio reporter for ESPN Radio, Fox Sports Radio, and Sporting News Radio in the Carolinas and Georgia. He covers the Carolina Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, Charlotte Bobcats, college football and basketball in the ACC, SEC, and CUSA. Ken also writes an NFL and college basketball column for lindyssports.com. He usually previews key upcoming games in each of his columns for the web site as it is the primary Internet media for Lindy's Sports Annuals. Ken also appears as an analyst on the Big Mo Show on ESPN Radio 1590 in High Point, NC and also visits the Tennessee Valley as he is a guest on WUMP Radio 730 am in Huntsville, Alabama on Friday mornings. Ken also shoots digital photography involving baseball and college football in his spare time.
Ken covered the Charlotte Hornets from the 1997-98 season until the team left the city at the end of the 2001-2002 campaign. He had two cover stories on the cover of "Basketball News" before it became a Web only entity and he also previewed the team for each upcoming season in the magazine. He wrote the Bobcats preview for Lindy's NBA annualon newsstands now!